A mesh network may include a plurality of nodes, many of which may include one or more software applications producing and/or gathering data for transmission. Some of the software applications may be in communication with devices, including sensors, meters, etc., which may gather data. Collectively, the nodes may generate a considerable amount of data to be sent upstream to a root node for transmission to a central office.
Existing networks and systems may allow some applications to overwhelm portions of the network, and particularly to create bottle necks at certain upstream nodes. In some circumstances, this may result in transmission delays and quality of service issues.
Conventional contention window management fails to address this problem. Moreover, current technology fails to distinguish transmission failures due to traffic collisions from failures due to poor link connections, such as those caused by radio interference. Under such conditions, the routine doubling of contention windows, as indicated by some algorithms, may be counterproductive and may actually degrade network performance.